Former Vice President Kamala Harris has endorsed Zohran Mamdani for mayor of New York City, making her the most prominent Democrat to back the democratic socialist candidate whose rise has rattled the party establishment.
The endorsement came Monday night during Harris’s first major television interview since losing the 2024 presidential election to Donald Trump. Speaking with Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, Harris was asked whether she would support Mamdani, who stunned the political world earlier this year by defeating former New York governor Andrew M. Cuomo in the Democratic primary.
“Look, as far as I’m concerned, he’s the Democratic nominee and he should be supported,” Harris said. Pressed further, she added, “I support the Democrat in the race, sure,” though she avoided using Mamdani’s name directly. Harris went on to highlight other Democrats she called “stars,” including Barbara Drummond of Alabama and Helena Moreno of Louisiana, adding, “I hope that we don’t so over-index on New York City that we lose sight of the stars throughout our country.”
Her remarks stood out amid the cautious response from other top Democrats. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has withheld support, and several party figures have kept their distance from Mamdani, wary that his democratic socialist label could hand Republicans a potent campaign weapon in next year’s midterms.
Mamdani, a state assemblyman from Queens, responded Tuesday by welcoming Harris’s support. “Our fight for affordability is striking a chord not just here in New York, but with Democrats across the country,” he said in a statement.
The 32-year-old has already won endorsements from progressive leaders such as Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, but his candidacy has deepened fault lines between the party’s left and center.
Harris’s interview was pegged to the release of her new book, 107 Days, a memoir of her brief 2024 presidential run after President Biden ended his reelection bid. Asked whether she might run in 2028, Harris demurred: “That’s not my focus right now. That’s not my focus at all.”
For now, her comments signal both a nod to the Democratic Party’s left flank and lingering unease among its leadership about Mamdani’s campaign.
